In Milwaukee, a leading gun rights advocate called Flynn's testimony misguided.

"Well, I think if we could get the guns out of the hands of criminals, we'd all be safer. But the problem is these laws they're proposing would only get the guns out of the hands of law-abiding citizens," Nik Clark said.

After the hearing, Flynn spoke exclusively with WISN12 News' Washington bureau, saying he believes some of the senators brought nothing but talking points.

"It's very frustrating, as a career law enforcer, to hear people at that level of government make excuses for doing nothing," Flynn said.

Flynn was the only police chief to testify in the hearing, and he also told the committee that during the 9/11 attacks, he was police chief of Alexandria Va., where the Pentagon is located.

Flynn compared the fight to reduce deaths from gun violence to the nation's efforts to prevent deaths from terror attacks. You an hear that testimony in the video below.